Thursday, December 21, 2017

Truffles and More

This past week I've been baking more and more cookies.  Some are the same I've already made this season, sugar and gingerbread, and others are not, peppermint chocolate crinkle and truffles.  The chocolate truffles are new this year.  I found the recipe here.  This was the first time I made truffles and the recipe worked out beautifully.  I made them a little smaller than the 1 oz size suggested.  I like more little things on my plate (sometimes) than a few large things.  I decided to just dust them with coco powder next time I might get a little bit fancier.  




My daughter recently found this recipe for Winter Solstice Cake   I love carrot cake and I think the addition of winter seasonings would be really good.  

What I'm reading: Pancakes in Paris.  Craig Carlson sets up an american diner in Paris. Culturally it is a very interesting read, and as well as for anyone who ever thought about opening a restaurant. 

Image result for pancakes in paris book

I wish you a Merry Christmas, Bon Appétit
and as always with love from the Midwest,
Beth 

Monday, December 11, 2017

A Week in December

Everyone says this is the busiest time of year.  It is busy, but certainly not as crazy as September.  What have I been up to? Well honestly I've been baking cookies, reading, picking up my knitting again and we also squeezed in a trip to Chicago, along with work of course.  

Chicago is one of my favorite cities; I was born there so I'm a bit biased. But really its a beautiful city and right on Lake Michigan.  My husband and son and I went down for an overnight and spent Saturday walking along Michigan Ave doing a little Christmas shopping.  Of course we had lunch at the Peninsula - my favorite lunch spot in the city.  One of my favorite things about this time of year is the Christmas lights and I so loved seeing all of the lights as it got later and later. 






As I mentioned I've also been baking. Gingerbread cookies are one of my favorite and I love a good rum ball.  The original recipe called for bourbon but I really don't like bourbon so I switched it up for rum.  See below for the recipe.  



Rum Balls

2 boxes Nilla Wafers - I crush them up in the food processor
2 cups ground walnuts - again I use my food processor
2 cups powderd sugar
2 Tbl. coco powder
7 Tbl. corn syrup
1 cup good quality rum

Combine first four ingredients in a large bowl and mix. Then add the corn syrup and rum.  Pinch and roll into 1" balls and roll in granulated sugar.  Let the balls sit on a cookie sheet for a day and then put in a cookie container.   I like to let mine sit for about 1 week before I start eating them.  But that is all up to taste.

Enjoy!
As always with love from the Midwest,
Beth 

Monday, November 27, 2017

Behind the scenes Thanksgiving


During one of my favorite holidays my middle daughter was just taking pictures of our food throughout the day.  Since it was Thanksgiving she took a lot of pictures of random food.  However this gave me inspiration for today's blog post.  I thought it would be fun to see what went on behind the scenes, the mess and what else we ate during the day.  There are no pictures of breakfast since I did my annual turkey trot with my oldest daughter and everyone else was left to fend for themselves. 

Lunch included shrimp cocktail, salad with house-made vinaigrette and hearts of palm.  Estancia chardonnay was the beverage of choice. It is a holiday after all. 






Of course we had our turkey. I like to grill mine on my Big Green Egg.  In addition to the turkey we had sweet potato apple purée, garlic mashed potatoes, angle biscuits, cranberry sauce and broccoli.  The biscuits were new this year and I must say delicious. To drink Joel Gott Zinfandel, I love zinfandel with just about everything. 






To finish of course we saved room for some dessert, Pecan Pie and Apple Pie.  We're really not big pumpkin pie fans.  



I hope you really enjoyed your Thanksgiving as much as we did.
As always with love from the Midwest,
Beth 





Thursday, November 16, 2017

Back in Door County

I know I mention it a lot, but Door County is one of my favorite places especially in the winter.  We were luck enough to get up there last weekend in the snow. In the winter there a so many less people, and with the snow it is very cozy.  Most of our winter weekends we love to sit by the fire and read, talk or play games and go for walks when the snow isn't too deep.   Some of our favorite places to out for a meal are White Gull Inn for breakfast and the Bayside for lunch, both in Fish Creek, WI.  As for dinner, well there is nothing quite so nice as staying home enjoying preparing and eating a delicious meal and wine.  I thought I'd share a couple of pictures from our breakfast. 

Cherry Pancakes

Eggs Benedict with a side of hash browns

Caramel apple french toast

Hope your weekend was as delightful as mine.
As always with love from the Midwest,
Beth

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

A week in November

Well the weather has gotten a lot cooler, and I'm definitely bundling up for walks and runs when I'm outside.  However the change in weather does bring some positives. For one it makes me take stock in what I have in my freezer and see what I have.  My children have been helping me eat all of our bread in the past few months.  Mind you it's not a problem however it is a new phenomenon.  In the past it was just me -now it's 2 more and our daughter in college also requires homemade goodness, which I'm happy to supply. So luckily I had some time the other day and some local zucchini. I was shocked I could still get several fruits when I was at our last farmers' market.  Well when I shredded it up I had 4 cups worth -so enough for 2 loaves of regular zucchini bread and 2 chocolate.



Also this last weekend I went down to visit my daughter in Madison.  It was so great to see her and to enjoy Madison's food scene, which is truly fantastic. My new favorite breakfast café is Bloom Bakeshop. I had a Florentine eggs Benedict on biscuits and it was to die for.  Of course after breakfast we needed a walk so picnic point was just what we needed. The trees were all yellow and orange and the wind was calm as was the water. 

I just love the jade cake stands. I think if I were to open a bake shop it would look like this.



Of course one other nice thing about November is the cooling temperatures and the lack of daylight mean I spend a little more time reading.  This month I'm reading Empty Mansions.  It is the story of  heiress Huguette Clark.  The book can be a bit slow, but it really is a fascinating read.  Right now I need a book that I can read for 15-20 minutes here and there so it is perfect.

I hope your week was equally enjoyable and you are able to appreciate the change in seasons in someway.

As always with love from the Midwest,
Beth 

Monday, October 30, 2017

Lots of Peppers

This was the last Saturday of our outdoor farmers' market.  My husband and I went all bundled up as it as about 35 degrees. We've had several frosts so we weren't expecting much, but we wanted to support the vendors.  Boy were we wrong.  Of course there were the squash, I have a bushel basket full of squash - hoping they  don't go bad before I get to them.   And of course there were potatoes and other root vegetables, but there were a ton of peppers and the very last of the tomatoes. I also was lucky enough to pick up some bock choy, broccoli and lettuce.  Now the question is what to do with all of the peppers when I got them home. Some of them I cut up and froze, but the others I decided to try a new dish to me Pipérade - it's like a French salsa.  I served it as a side with our macaroni and cheese the first night.  The next day I just reheated it, always love that, and served along side an omelet.  The Pipérade keeps for about 3-4 days in the refrigerator and can be served cold, hot or a room temperature.  How perfect is that? 





This recipe comes from The Bonne Femme  by Wini Moranville. (This is really a great book if you are looking for a new cookbook.)  But really it is a question of sauteing sliced peppers, onions, salt and pepper in olive oil. After allowing them to soften for about 10 minutes I added the tomatoes.  The recipe calls for canned, but I just used fresh since I had them.  Towards the end of the cooking time, about 5-8 minutes later, add minced garlic, 1/2 tsp paprika and 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper. Saute for an additional 30 seconds to a minute.  You can serve right away or just take off the heat until ready to use.  

Bon Appétit!
and as always with love from the Midwest,
Beth  

Saturday, October 14, 2017

Apples for Breakfast

Generally I don't think of apples as a go to breakfast fruit. I don't know why not, they fall in the fruit category which I always have for breakfast.  However I found this recipe years ago for baked apples, and I look forward to it every fall. Of course it also work well in the winter. I'm still eating local apples which makes this recipe to me all the better.  It's super quick to make since you don't have to peel the apples and it cooks in the microwave. I make enough for the week on Sunday and my mornings are that much easier during the week.



Baked apples 

About 6 chopped apples (don't peel) - I use a 8 x 8" microwave safe dish
Cinnamon to taste
 1/4 c sugar - raw cane sugar or brown sugar works quite well
 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans - really whatever nut you like for a little protein
1/4 c water
sometimes I add some dried cherries or cranberries depending on my mood

Microwave for 20 minutes.  The apples will be soft but still have some shape.  These are all rough measurements of course add more or less of anything for your personal preference.

Bon Appétit!
And as always with love from the Midwest,
Beth 



Tuesday, October 3, 2017

What does local look like this week?

Well I thought I'd share with you what local looks like this week, the first week in October.  We've had crazy warm weather recently so I still have a ton of flowers and our farmers' market is still going strong at least as of the Saturday before.  Appleton had it annual October Fest in place of the market.  So instead of spending my money on the local farmers Saturday my husband and I supported our town. All of the food vendors supported local charities as did our local artists.

We also went to our favorite apple orchard.  Yes this is a view of my extra fridge. I picked up a bag of "seconds" -they are great for pies, sauce and my baked apples for breakfast.


Luckily I also have vegetables left over from the Wednesday market and my garden.  So I've included a dinner of mostly local food.  The steak is from our cow we get that is from 15 minutes away.  I know the farmer, and I pay him directly.  I also have it processed at a local butcher.  The mushrooms are from Wisconsin and the tomatoes are local. When I use such fresh produce I really try not to cook it that much, so just a bit of sea salt from our trip to Washington and San Juan Island. 
Now the black truffle risotto is not local at all, but it was delicious.  And our Pinot Noir to drink was also not local.  But as I've said before we're not perfect just trying to be conscientious.  



Last week I did pick up some local garlic.  We choose the one with the red writing and it was delicious roasted on our grill.  I made sourdough the same day and what a treat -roasted garlic, butter and fresh bread.



As for my flowers, yes they are still growing on the south side of my house.  I've filled many rooms with Zinneas and Dahlias.  They just make me happy looking at them.


I hope over the past few weeks I've inspired you to think more locally about your purchases and food in general.  

Until the next time,
As always with love from the Midwest,
Beth 


Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Week in Review

As a family, minus our oldest who is off at college, we are starting to get organized after the school year started.  Honestly as a teacher and mother I find September the hardest month.  I'm never ready to go from 0-60 in 2 seconds.  However I finally do get into the swing of things as they say.

I'm back to reading a little bit more.  I just read a very interesting article about what dinner looks like around the US.  As someone who takes the dinner hour very seriously I always find it interesting to see what other people are eating and doing for dinner.  Click here for the link.

I'm also reading A Feast Nearby. It is the story of one woman surviving on local food and a budget of $40 a week of groceries and grocery items. I seem to have a food theme this month of September.

Of course Saturday is not complete without a trip to the farmer's market in September and October.  I need to get all of the local produce I can before the winter, when the selection becomes very sparce.  However this week I did pick up a non-local ingredient, black truffles!  I haven't quite decided how I will use them, but I'll figure it out soon.



This weekend was also the first time I picked up seconds from my favorite apple orchard.  So with the help of my daughter and husband we peeled about 10 pounds of apples for apple sauce.  This was the first time that product came out of the hot water caner looking professional. I'm very pleased with my self.


And of course at this time of year what is for dessert?  Apples in various ways.  This time I chose to make an apple tart.  This is incredibly simple.  Just roll out a sheet of puff pastry and cut into 4 or 5 pieces; it depends on how big you want your tarts.  Peel and core your apples and slice thinly.  Then just place them on the pastry and dust with cinnamon sugar.  Top the pastries with dots of butter, maybe 4 total all around the tarts.  Bake in an over preheated to 425 degrees for about 20-25 minutes or until they turn golden brown.  Brush the tops with  melted apricot jam for a glaze.  They are delicious as is or topped with whipped cream too. 


I hope your had an enjoyable week.
As always with love from the Midwest,
Beth 





Thursday, September 14, 2017

Eating Local

Several years ago I read a book about 2 people who based their whole eating life-style around food that came from within 100 miles of them.  The book, Plenty, really made me start thinking about where my food comes from.  Since then I've read other memoirs about self-sustaining life styles.  Now I know that in reality this is not something I really want to do for all of the year, especially living in northeast Wisconsin.  However as I said theses books really made me think. So starting in the late spring and up through the late fall I love to eat as much local food as possible.  That means eating with the seasons, growing food in my garden and of course trips to my local farmers' market. In addition my family now buys a 1/2 cow from about 20 minutes away.  The meat is also packed by a local butcher and it makes me feel good about giving back to my community.  So what are we eating and buying now?  Well the garden is full of kale, carrots, zucchini and herbs.  Unfortunately the tomatoes got a blight, but I have Rick from Produce with Purpose.  Also from the farmer's market I have Cipolini onions and various types of mushrooms and of course the last of the corn.  As for fruit we have the last of the melons, blueberries and now apples.  As I said we aren't perfect localavores in our family, but I try be aware of where our products come from and pass that on to my family.








Hedgehog, shrimp of the woods and chanterelle mushrooms along with fresh garlic.

Cipolini onions


What are you eating this fall season?
As always with love from the Midwest,
Beth 

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Favorite Lunches

I love to cook as you may already know and I love to make a delicious lunch when I have time.  However there is something  quite divine about going out for a delicious lunch in the city.  Recently my oldest daughter and I went down to Chicago.  We did this last year as well, so we decided to return to our favorite place for lunch, The Peninsula Hotel's Pierrot Gourmet.  It was a wonderful day and we could dine outside.  The restaurant sits directly on Rush St. with just enough of the city crazy yet you are still able to carry on a conversation quite easily.  The other thing I really enjoyed about this restaurant is the clientele.  People were happy to be alone reading (not on their phones), enjoying a glass of wine with lunch or just not rushing.  For lunch I had their Asian grilled salad with a peanut dressing, avocado and mangoes.  Of course to drink and Argentinean chardonnay.  Absolutely delightful
.


The following week my husband and I dropped our eldest off at UW-Madison.  Madison is a great food city.  I'm really looking forward to eating there more often.  For our first of many Madison lunches we went to Graze.  The restaurant is right on the capitol and also has beautiful outdoor seating.  The menu is based on local seasonal ingredients -so how can you go wrong.  My lunch was a Bun salad, Chinese noodles, various raw vegetables sriracha dressing and a tofu roll.  It was just the right lunch after working all morning.  Of course I had to have the delightful glass of wine too, a California from Santa Barbara County.  


I hope you can take some time to enjoy a leisurely lunch somewhere nearby.  Take some time not to be on your phone, talk to someone, just be alone and of course enjoy your food and wine.

Bon Appétit!,
as always with love from the Midwest,
Beth

Tuesday, August 22, 2017

Soufflé

Cheese soufflé is one of my favorite vegetarian meals.  It can serve 3 for a light dinner or 4 for a lunch.  The other day I had a smaller group for dinner, just my husband, myself and one child.  So I decided to make cheese soufflé.  I like to use Alton Brown's recipe; it is almost foolproof.  Every time I cook it I get a gorgeous meal.  



With soufflé or any sort of eggs as a matter of fact I enjoy bread.  As I've posted before I also like to make my own bread.  This bread is a pesto bread that is an old recipe from Bon Appétit.  I love to make it in the summer when I can use the basil from my garden mixed with Parmesan cheese and pine nuts.  It makes it just that more special.



We rounded out the meal with a green salad of local greens and of course some wine.  Unfortunately not mine since I'm waiting for my second batch of lettuce to grow for the fall.  As usual I dressed it with a simple dressing of olive oil, balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper. 


Bon Appétit 
and as always with love from the Midwest,
Beth